Radiator mounting assembly for gas wall heater



Sheet May 27, 1969 R, R. COOPER ET AL RADIATOR MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR GAS WALL HEATER Filed Sept. 2. 1966 FIG.

e Y: mlggm@ FIG 3 May 27, 1969 R. R. COOPER ETAL 3,446,202

RADIATOR MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR GAS WALL HEATER Filed sept. 2, 196e Sheet FIGS INVENTo/zs:

ROBERT R. COOPER ANTHONY M. CASTELLO United States Patent O 3,446,202 RADIATOR MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR GAS WALL HEATER Robert R. Cooper and Anthony M. Castello, Wichita, Kans., assignors to The Coleman Company, Inc.,

Wichita, Kans., a corporation of Kansas Filed Sept. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 576,910

Int. Cl. F24c 3/04 U.S. Cl. 126-90 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A mounting assembly for a gas wall heater which her metically seals the combustion chamber of the heater from the room to be heated and firmly supports the radiator casing `without metal-to-metal contact with the casing. The heater includes a support wall which is provided with a pair of vertically spaced openings. A non-combustible gasket provided with a central opening therethrough of a diameter smaller than the openings in the support wall is secured to the support wall about each of its openings. Each of the air inlet tube and the flue exhaust tube of the radiator casing, which has a diameter greater than the diameter of the gasket openings, is inserted through aligned openings of a gasket and the support wall, thereby v compressing the gaskets between the radiator tubes and the support wall and rmly securing the radiator casing. A plurality of aligning brackets properly position the radiator casing and provide further support thereto, and a non-combustible washer is interposed between each 'bracket and the radiator casing.

This invention relates to a radiator mounting assembly for a gas wall heater.- The inventive features are particularly applicable to sealed combustion gas -wall heaters of the through-the-wall type.

In a sealed combustion gas heater, the radiator casing is hermetically sealed, and the combustion system is so designed that all combustion air required for the burner is drawn outside the room in which the heater is located, and all ue products are discharged outside the room. It is mandatory that the radiator casing be hermetically sealed so that flue products do not become mixed with fresh inlet air or do not become released into the room and so that the room air does not become mixed with inlet air. If the latter occurred, the air pressure balance within the combustion chamber provided by the radiator casing would `be upset and the main burner ame or pilot burner ame could be extinguished.

The transfer of inlet air into the combustion chamber and the discharge of flue products from the combustion chamber is usually accomplished through the use of tubes which communicate with the combustion chamber and which pass through the rear wall of the heater outer casing. For the foregoing reasons, it is seen that the points at which these tubes pass through the outer casing must be hermetically sealed.

It is also desirable to avoid metal-to-metal contact between these tubes and the rear wall of the outer casing. The rear wall is relatively cool due to the cool air drawn through it to the combustion chamber while the radiator casing chamber is extremely hot during operation. Therefore, a metal-to-metal contact of these two parts would be very noisy on heat-up and cool-down due to the differential metal expansion rates. If the radiator casing is rigidly supported, it will be subjected to severe stresses at the points of support as the casing expands during heating. Also, since the casing is not heated uniformly during initial operation of the heater, the differential expansion rate of the various portions of the heater will cause ICC noisy popping and create additional stresses if these portions of the casing are not allowed to move relative to each other.

It is therefore an important object of this mventlon to provide a sealed combustion gas wall heater having. a novel and effective hermetic sealing means between the 1nlet and exhaust tubes and the heater frame. Another object of this invention is to provide a sealed combustion gas wall heater which has no metal-to-metal between parts which are maintained at different temperatures during operation. Still another object is to provide novel means for supporting and stabilizing the radiator casing and cornbustion chamber. Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent as specification proceeds.

The invention is explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which'- FIG. l is a perspective view of a gas wall heater embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the heater in the process of being assembled;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional View taken along the line 5 5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of the upper portion of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view `of the lower portion of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly FIGS. l and 2, the numeral 10 designates generally a sealed cornbustion gas heater installed in place against a wall 11 of a room to be heated. The heater 10 includes an outer casing or box 12 which includes rear wall 13, side walls 14 and 15, and top and bottom 16 and 17, respectively. Rear wall 13 is otiset from the rear edge of top and bottom walls 16 and 17, providing an air space 18 (see FIG. 2).

Removably attached to outer casing 12 is front cover 19, which is provided with an air intake grille 20 and an air outlet grille 21. Top wall 16 is also provided with an air outlet grille 22.

Attached to the rear wall 13 Tand extending outwardly therefrom through an opening provided in room wall 11 is cylindrical inlet air collar 22 (see FIG. 2). The outside end of the inlet air collar 22 is bent outwardly to form ange 23.

Attached to the rear wall 13 of the outer casing 12 is vertically-extending support wall 24 having vertically spaced openings 25 and 26 provided therein (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Support wall 24 is generally rectangular in shape and includes perimetrically extending ange 27 which may be spot welded to rear wall 13 in such a way that the juncture ybetween the two parts is hermetically sealed. Referring especially to FIG. 2, support wall 24 is seen to be spaced from rear wall 13, providing an inlet air passage 28.

Radiator casing 29 provides a combustion chamber in the lower portion thereof and is supported by flue exhaust tube 30 and inlet air tube 31, which are spaced Vertically of each other `and which extend outwardly from casing 29. Flue exhaust tube 30y and inlet air tube 31 are received in openings 25 and 26, respectively, in support wall 2-4. Flue exhaust tube 30 extends coaxially through inlet air collar 22, and received on the end of the illue collar in tight connection therewith is vent hood 32, which is attached to ange 23 by screws 33.

Secured to support wall 24 are gaskets 34 and 35 (see FIG. 4). The gaskets may be secured by means of staples 36 or other suitable attachment means such as an adhesive. AGasket 34 is provided with an opening therein having a diameter smaller than the diameter of opening and is positioned on the support wall 24 so that the gasket opening is generally concentric with opening 25. Likewise, gasket 35 is provided with an opening having a diameter smaller than the diameter of opening 26, and the gasket opening is concentric with opening 26. Gaskets 34 and 35 are non-metallic, and can be advantageously made of AAA grade metallic woven asbestos, having a mica coating.

The gas heater is assembled by inserting flue exhaust tube and inlet air tube 31 into openings 25 and 26 of support wall 24 (see FIG. 3). The ue exhaust tube 30 is of a size smaller than opening 25 but larger than the opening in gasket 34, :and the inlet air tube is sized so that it is smaller than opening 26 but larger than the opening in gasket 35. Accordingly, as the tubes 30 and 31 are forced into the openings 25 and 26 the inner periphery of gaskets 34 and 35 are drawn into openings 25 and 26 respectively (see FIG. 6). Thus, gasket 34 is tightly compressed between tiue exhaust tube 30 and support wall 24, thereby forming an airtight seal between tube 30 and support wall 24. Similarly, gasket 35 is tightly compressed between inlet air tube 31 and support wall 24. Gaskets 34 and 36 also separate tubes 30 and 31 from support wall 24, thereby eliminating metal-to-metal contact between these parts, The tight lit of tubes 30v and 31 with the support wall both hermetically seals the juncture between these parts and provides a film and stable support for radiator casing 29.

Gaskets 34 and 35 are advantageously made of wire woven asbestos so that they will be better able to withstand tearing or shearing during the assembly of the radiator casing. As can be seen best in FIGS. 5 and 6, openings 25 and 26 are dened by perimetrically extending lips 37 and 38, respectively, provided by support wall 24. The lips 37 and 38 provide additional contacting surface for the gaskets thereby insuring a tighter lit and better support for the tubes 30 and 31.

The radiator casing 29 is primarily supported by the tubes 30 and 31 which extend through support wall 24. However, in order to insure that the tubes 30 and 31 are inserted a proper distance through wall 24 so that radiator casing 429 is properly spaced from support wall 24 and the rear wall 13 of the outer heater casing 12, aligning brackets 39, 40, 41 and 41 are provided. (See FIGS. 2 and 3.) Brackets -42 are spot welded to the rear wall 13, and in the particular embodiment illustrated, brack- `et 39 is spot welded to support wall 24. However, the

bracket 39 may also be spot welded to the rear wall 13 in the same manner as the other brackets. Aligning brackets 39-42 also provide stabilizing support for radiator casing 29. Preferably, asbestos washers 43 are inserted between the aligning brackets and the radiator casing, as shown in FIG. 7, and the casing is then secured to the brackets by sheet metal screws 44.

Provided within the radiator casing 29 is a gas burner (not shown), access to which is provided by door 45 and removably secured to the casing (see FIG. 2). No novelty is claimed in the gas burner in this application, and any conventional 'burner may be used. For a more complete description of the gas burner and the door 45 see our copending application Ser. No. 550,825, iled May 17, 1966, entitled Gas Wall Heater.

The gas heater is started by igniting the gas burner (not shown) in the conventional manner. In operation cold air is drawn from outside the room through inlet air collar 22 and inlet air passage 28 provided between support wall 24 and rear wall 13 of the outer casing. The air then enters the radiator casing through inlet air tube 31. Hot combustion products rise upwardly inside the radiator casing, heating it thoroughly, and are expelled through llue exhaust tube 30 and vent hood 32 to the outside atmosphere.

The room is heated by gravity circulation of hot air. As the radiator casing 29 is heated, the surrounding air 4 is also heated and rises through air outlet grilles 21 and 22 (see FIG. 2). Cold air is forced through air inlet grille 20 to be heated by the casing.

It is seen that the support wall 24 is maintained at a relatively low temperature by the cool air drawn through air inlet passage 28 from outside the room. The radiator casing, however, is extremely hot during operation, as are flue exhaust tube 30` and and air inlet collar 31. Therefore, metal-to-metal contact between support wall 24 and tubes 30 and 31 would result in very irritating and distracting popping noises on heat-up and cool-down of the radiator casing due to the differential metal expansion rates. Metal-to-metal contact of these parts is avoided in the inventive structure, however, by virtue of the gaskets 34 and 35. The radiator casing is almost exclusively supported by tubes 30 and 31, and, since gaskets 3S and 36 surrounding tubes 30 and 31 are compressible, the radiator casing is allowed to expand without being subjected to severe stresses at its support point and without creating irritating noises. The compressible gaskets between tubes 30 and 31 and support wall 24 also allows tubes 30 and 31 to move relative to each other when the bottom portion of the casing, which contains the gas burner, becomes hotter than the upper portion of the radiator casing.

Metal-to-metal contact between the radiator casing and the aligning brackets 39-42 is avoided by virtue of the asbestos washers 43. Since the aligning brackets are not required to support any substantial weight, they may be made of light, flexible sheet metal, which may flex as the radiator casing expands and contracts.

The mica coating on gaskets 34 and 35 acts as a lubricant when the tubes 30 and 31 expand and contract as they are heated and cooled.

In addition, it is seen that if the connection between inlet air tube 31 and support wall 24 is not hermetically sealed, room air may enter the inlet air passage 28 and pass into the radiator casing. Since a closed combustion system and gas heater is designed to operate on precise air balance between the air in the combustion chamber provided by the casing and the air drawn from outside the room, the introduction of room air into the combustion chamber would upset this delicate balance and result in possible extinguishment of the gas burner flame. The hermetic seal provided by gaskets 34 and 35 preserves the delicate air balance required.

The air space 18 between rear wall 13 of the outer casing and the room wall 11 (FIG. 2) allows air to circulate behind the rear wall 13 in order to prevent this member from becoming excessively heated and also to allow additional heat to be carried into the room.

From the foregoing, it is seen that 4a closed system combustion gas heater has been provided with a combustion chamber which is hermetically sealed from the room that is being heated, and which has a radiator casing which is substantially isolated from contact with other metal parts of the heater and which is uniquely supported in a manner which permits independent expansion of the radiator casing.

While in the foregoing specification a detailed embodiment of the invention was set forth for purposes of explanation, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many of the details herein given may be varied considerably without bearing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a sealed combustion gas heater of the throughthe-wall type, an outer casing including a rear wall, said rear wall having an opening provided therein, a support wall attached to said rear wall in spaced relation therewith, said support wall having a rst opening smaller than the opening in said rear wall and generally concentric therewith and a second opening, said support wall including a rst perimetric lip around said rst opening and a second perimetric lip around said second opening,

a radiator casing providing a combustion chamber therein, a flue exhaust tube permanently attached to the upper portion of said radiator casing and communicating with said combustion chamber, said ue exhaust tube having an outside diameter smaller than said first opening, an air inlet tube permanently attached to the lower portion of said casing and communicating with said combustion chamber, said inlet air tube having an outside diameter smaller than said second opening, a lirst noncombustile, non-metallic gasket having an opening therethrough of a diameter smaller than the outside diameter of said flue exhaust tube, a second non-combustible, non-metallic gasket having an opening therethrough of ya diameter smaller than the outside diameter of said inlet air tube, said flue exhaust extending through said first gasket and said first opening, the inner periphery of said rst gasket being compressed between said ue exhaust tube and said rst perimetric lip of the support wall, whereby contact between said flue exhaust tube and said support wall is prevented and a hermetic seal is provided therebetween, said air inlet tube extending through said second gasket and said second opening, the inner periphery of said second gasket being compressed between said inlet air tube and said second perimetric lip of the support wall, whereby contact between said inlet air tube and said support wall is prevented and hermetic seal is provided therebetween.

2. In a sealed combustion gas heater of the through-thewall type, an outer casing including a rear wall, said rear wall having an opening provided therein, a support wall attached to said rear wall in spaced relation therewith, said support wall having a rst opening smaller than the opening in said rear wall and generally concentric therewith and a second opening, a radiator casing providing a combustion chamber therein, a flue exhaust tube permanently attached to the upper portion of said radiator casing and communicating with said combustion chamber, said flue exhaust tube having an outside diameter smaller than said first opening, an air inlet tube permanently attached to the lower portion of said casing and communicating with said combustion chamber, said inlet air tube having an outside diameter smaller than said second opening, a rst non-combustible, non-metallic gasket having 'an opening therethrough of a diameter smaller than the outside diameter of said flue exhaust tube, a second non-combustible, non-metallic gasket having an opening therethrough of a diameter smaller than the outside diameter of said inlet air tube, said ue exhaust tube extending CII through said rst gasket and said rst opening, the inner periphery of said `first gasket being compressed between said liue exhaust tube and said support wall at the periphery of said rst opening, whereby contact between said ue exhaust tube and said support wall is prevented and a hermetic seal is provided therebetween, said air inlet tube extending through said second gasket and said second opening, the inner periphery of said second gasket being compressed between said inlet air tube and said support wall at the periphery of said second opening, whereby contact between said inlet air tube and said support wall is prevented and a hermetic seal is provided therebetween, a plurality of flexible aligning brackets attached to said outer casing and extending therefrom, a non-metallic washer associated with each of said brackets, said radiator casing being removably secured to said brackets, each of said washers being positioned between its associated bracket and said casing, said bracket flexing to permit differential expansion in said radiator casing.

3. The structure of claim 1 including a plurality of flexible aligning brackets attached to said outer casing and extending therefrom, a non-metallic washer associated with each of said brackets, said radiator casing being removably secured to said brackets, each of said washers being positioned between its associated bracket and said casing, said brackets tlexing to permit differential expansion in said radiator casing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 237,548 2/1881 Kirkman 277-235 509,963 12/1893 Stauffer 126-317 1,682,940 9/1928 Smith 126-314 2,235 ,43 8 3 1941 Leistensnider 106-7.6 2,422,694 6/ 1947 McCollum 126-116 2,508,889 5/ 1950 Richardson. 2,632,435 3/ 1953 Lundstrom 126-90 2,644,804 7/1953 Rubin 260-33.8 3,348,533 10/1967 Withoite 126-90 FOREIGN PATENTS 725,988 3/ 1955 Great Britain.

FREDERICK KETTERER, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. XiR. 

